D4.2
ACADEMIC SKILLS CENTRE, DAWSON COLLEGE
WRITING A TERM PAPER: 10 BASIC STEPS
1. Explore your topic: Read to gain a broad understanding of your topic.
(Encyclopedias or the Internet can be useful at this stage.)
2. Form a thesis: Once you know enough about your topic, come up with a single
point about it—a point that your entire paper will prove or support. Write this point
down in a single sentence. (Your thesis is tentative; it can always be adjusted as
you gain new insight during your research.)
3. Take notes: Once you have located some reliable sources, record only those
points that will support your thesis. Except for direct quotations, all information
should be taken down in concise note form, in your own words. Identify the exact
source of all information. [The use of note cards is recommended; it allows you to
organize your research more effectively.]
4. Organize your research: Prepare an outline and arrange your notes, bringing
together points from different sources as necessary. [You might have to revise
your thesis or to look for further information at this point.]
5. Draft the paper: Write the introduction, body paragraphs (with the necessary
citations or footnotes), and conclusions.
6. Edit the paper: Thoroughly check and improve everything—from structure,
paragraphing, thesis statement and topic sentences, to punctuation, grammar,
spelling, and mechanics.
7. Rewrite: Type the final version of your paper with close attention to format
instructions (MLA or APA style), and finalize your citations or footnotes.
8. Prepare the bibliography: Arrange your formal list of all sources. [Follow format
models with care; MLA and APA styles are quite different.]
9. Prepare the title page: Following the assigned format, arrange the title page. Be
sure to use a title that clearly indicates your actual thesis—not just your topic.
10. Proofread: Check the entire paper, looking for typographical errors and similar
minor faults. (Other mistakes should have been corrected at the editing stage)
WM 2003